Shows / Caropop
Caropop
There may be nothing more inspiring and entertaining than relaxed, candid conversations among creative people. Mark Caro, a relentlessly curious journalist and on-stage interviewer, loves digging into the creative process with artists and drawing out surprising stories that illuminate the work that has become part of our lives. The Caropopcast is for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the music, movies, food and culture that they love.
Episodes
CaropopJohn Murphy (Shoes), Pt. 2
In Part 2 of our conversation with John Murphy, the Shoes singer-songwriter-bassist tells what happened after MTV started playing this Zion, Ill., power-pop…
CaropopJohn Murphy (Shoes), Pt. 1
Shoes, the now-legendary power-pop band from Zion, Ill., is the most democratic of groups, with each album presenting equal servings of smart, hooky songs from…
CaropopPalmyra Delran
Palmyra Delran was a veteran East Coast pop-punk rocker when Stevie Van Zandt (a previous Caropop guest) offered her a hosting gig on his Little Steven’s…
CaropopDavid Byrne
How did David Byrne go from being a twitchy art-rock frontman to one of our most beloved artists? At age 74, he’s got a new book, Sleeping Beauties: Why Good…
CaropopJim Babjak (The Smithereens)
Smithereens guitarist Jim Babjak shared a love of the British Invasion and Beach Boys with classmate and drummer (and previous Caropop guest) Dennis Diken when…
CaropopBill Wyman (Writer)
Song-ranking articles can be annoying clickbait, but those written by longtime journalist Bill Wyman are endlessly provocative, entertaining and informative…
CaropopNatalie Merchant
After making widely loved music as a solo artist and, beforehand, with 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant is focusing on children with her latest project…
CaropopSusan Orlean
Susan Orlean has a brilliant talent for crafting compelling narratives from idiosyncratic topics that have piqued her interest: orchid poachers in Florida for…
CaropopCaropop Summer Recess 2026
We're going on break! We'll be back the Thursday after Labor Day! In the meantime, you can listen to this message and catch up on old Caropop episodes (no way…
CaropopLaura Benanti
Laura Benanti is a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical star who noticed some things while looking back on her life and career. She has channeled these…
CaropopMichael Hampton (Funkadelic/Parliament)
Michael Hampton earned the nickname Kidd Funkadelic as the hotshot guitarist who at age 17 joined the Funkadelic/Parliament universe after wowing P-Funk leader…
CaropopUrge Overkill/Exit the Dragon
Urge Overkill appeared to be riding high after the critical triumph of its 1993 album, Saturation, and the prominent appearance of its Neil Diamond cover…
CaropopJason Ringenberg (Jason and the Scorchers/Still Standing)
Jason and the Scorchers (née Jason and the Nashville Scorchers) were cowpunk trailblazers before anyone was talking about alt-country or Americana…
CaropopGlenn Morrow (Bar/None, Cry for Help)
Glenn Morrow owned and ran Bar/None Records for decades, signing acts such as They Might Be Giants, Yo La Tengo, Freedy Johnston, Alex Chilton, Ezra Furman and…
CaropopLiberty DeVitto (Billy Joel), Pt. 2
In Pt. 2 of this lively, insightful conversation with Liberty DeVitto’, Billy Joel’s longtime drummer revisits the challenge of drumming in the synth-driven…
CaropopLiberty DeVitto (Billy Joel), Pt. 1
Hired when Billy Joel wanted “a New York-style drummer,” Liberty DeVitto laid down indelible parts for the singer-songwriter-pianist’s music from 1976’s…
CaropopRachel Lichtman
Rachel Lichtman grew up listening to 1970s AM radio and watching local TV—a world of soothing music, tacky ads, eye-grabbing graphics and reruns galore. A…
CaropopSwamp Dogg
Swamp Dogg turns 84 on July 12, making him 24 days younger than Paul McCartney, yet he’s still on the rise. He’s been gaining new fans through the 2024…
CaropopIke Reilly
Singer-songwriter Ike Reilly has been reaching critical mass. He shared a microphone with Bruce Springsteen in January, has gained new fans with the 2024…
CaropopTom "Grover" Biery (Pet Sounds)
To mark the 60th anniversary of the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, Interscope-Capitol has released a limited-edition Definitive Sound Series One Step version of this…
CaropopBill Million (The Feelies)
Bill Million’s percussive strumming propels the Crazy Rhythms of the Feelies, who are playing their only two 2026 shows—and perhaps their final shows ever—May…
CaropopDave Gregory 2026, Pt. 2 (XTC)
Part 2 of this splendid conversation with XTC guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Dave Gregory picks up with the band’s ill-fated 1982 trip to the U.S. and the end…
CaropopDave Gregory 2026, Pt. 1 (XTC)
We’re so happy to welcome back to Caropop one of our favorite musicians, XTC guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Dave Gregory. The occasion is the Record Store Day…
CaropopZev Feldman/Jazz Showcase
Joe Segal, who would have turned 100 on April 24, recorded 8- to-10,000 shows at his own Jazz Showcase and other Chicago clubs. In 2011, “Jazz Detective” Zev…
CaropopBrendan Hunt (The Movement You Need, Ted Lasso)
Brendan Hunt, a.k.a. Coach Beard on Ted Lasso, is back in his hometown of Chicago to open a one-man show at Steppenwolf Theatre: The Movement You Need. The…
CaropopTim Peterson/Squeezebox (Record Store Day)
It's time to get the record store perspective on Record Store Day (April 18) from Tim Peterson, owner of Squeezebox Books & Music in Evanston, Ill. That’s…
CaropopRick Bayless (Frontera Grill, Topolobampo)
Chef Rick Bayless worked in his parents’ Oklahoma City BBQ restaurant before he found his passion exploring Mexico’s regional foods. When he and his wife Deann…
CaropopGary Klebe (Shoes)
More than a half century after co-founding the classic power-pop band Shoes, guitarist-singer-songwriter Gary Klebe is releasing his first solo album, Out…
CaropopRonnie Barnett (The Muffs)
Ronnie Barnett was a rock journalist in Houston when he met Kim Shattuck, then bassist for the Los Angeles band the Pandoras, and their fates intertwined. Soon…
CaropopVince Wilburn Jr. (Miles Davis)
Vince Wilburn Jr. was growing up on Chicago’s South Side when his mother would get him all dressed up because his Uncle Miles Davis was coming to town…
CaropopLen Kasper
Len Kasper is starting his sixth season as the Chicago White Sox’s radio play-by-play announcer after 16 years as the Cubs’ TV play-by-play guy, but he’s got…
CaropopChristine Sneed
Any author would dream of the kind of acclaim and attention that Christine Sneed has received, including a front-page Sunday New York Times Book Review rave of…
CaropopGraham Parker (Howlin' Wind)
Musicians are said to have a lifetime to create their first album and six months to make the follow-up. That was literally the case with Graham Parker, whose…
CaropopMichael Blair
Michael Blair had much training in percussion, including a degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, by the time he pulled out the marimba…
CaropopVictor Krummenacher 2026
I saw bassist Victor Krummenacher, one of my favorite music people, perform twice within three weeks last fall: with Camper Van Beethoven to end perhaps their…
CaropopDag Juhlin
I first saw and interviewed Dag Juhlin more than 30 years ago when he was singing, writing and playing guitar with the power-pop trio the Slugs. He’s had many…
CaropopMarc Ribot
I first noticed Marc Ribot’s slinky, spiky guitar playing as “Jockey Full of Bourbon,” from Tom Waits’ Rain Dogs, slithered over the opening of Jim Jarmusch’s…
CaropopKevin Gray 2026
In our annual check-in with renowned mastering engineer Kevin Gray, he reflects on a very busy 2025 that included his Rhino High Fidelity versions of Fleetwood…
CaropopMitch Easter & Don Dixon (R.E.M.'s Murmur)
Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, accomplished producers and performers on their own, came together to produce one of rock’s greatest debut albums, R.E.M.’s Murmur…
CaropopRobyn Hitchcock, 1967
Robyn Hitchcock turned 14 in 1967, the year that blew his musical mind open. This English boarding school student and future singer-songwriter-musician already…
CaropopCaropop Holidays Greeting 2025-26
Here's a quick holiday message that you can squeeze in amid all of your seasonal running around. And please check out our Caropop YouTube Channel in the…
CaropopWesley Stace/John Wesley Harding
Many of us first heard Wesley Stace on the 1990 album Here Comes the Groom that he recorded as John Wesley Harding, the name taken from Bob Dylan’s…
CaropopDave Specter
Dave Specter didn’t pick up a guitar till his late teens, yet in his 20s he was Son Seals’ rhythm guitarist for two years, and soon he was a bandleader…
CaropopShane Buettner (Intervention Records)
Running a boutique audiophile label is not easy, as Shane Buettner has learned in the 10 years since he founded Intervention Records. There are licensing…
CaropopLouie Pérez (Los Lobos)
Louie Pérez has written many great songs for Los Lobos, but “Saint Behind the Glass” is especially close to his heart. It was inspired by a saint statue from…
CaropopBob Merlis
Bob Merlis ran the Warner Bros. publicity department for much of his 29 years at the label, and he has tales to tell. He recalls his adventures as a Columbia…
CaropopPaul Kelly
Paul Kelly has been one of Australia’s—and the world’s—premier singer-songwriters for decades, having been introduced to American audiences with the mid-‘80s…
CaropopPaul Myers (John Candy)
Paul Myers is one of those do-it-all guys: author of the new John Candy: A Life in Comedy, host of the Record Store Day Podcast (which he also writes…
CaropopJonathan Segel (Camper Van Beethoven)
After Camper Van Beethoven performed the final show of its recent tour in Washington, D.C.—and perhaps its last show ever—violinist/multi-instrumentalist…
CaropopTom Morello
This conversation with Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave guitarist-songwriter Tom Morello took place immediately after the final preview of the new…
CaropopPeter Guralnick
Peter Guralnick, an author I've long admired, wrote the definitive Elvis Presley biographies Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love and has returned with The…
CaropopPeter Orner
I’ve been a Peter Orner fan for a long time, appreciating how—whether he’s writing short stories, novels or essays—he makes every word count. Stories and…
CaropopEmma Swift
Emma Swift is a sublime singer of her own songs as well as those of Bob Dylan, as she demonstrates on her new album, The Resurrection Game, and the previous…
CaropopScott McCaughey 2025
Scott McCaughey returns to Caropop as busy as ever. He’s currently on the Baseball Project/Minus 5 September Doubleheader tour, with each band consisting of…
CaropopRobbie Fulks 2025
Robbie Fulks released his debut album back in 1996, and here we are in 2025 with him, at age 62, still on the rise. His awesome guitar-picking skills and…
CaropopChris Difford (Squeeze)
Squeeze’s Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook are one of rock’s greatest songwriting tandems, with Tilbrook crafting indelible melodies around Difford’s…
CaropopSummer Recess
We're going on summer recess--for a good reason: Caropop is getting a long-awaited tune-up. We’ll be tweaking the presentation and improving the way we let you…
CaropopCraig Finn (The Hold Steady)
No surprise, talking music with Craig Finn is stimulating and a lot of fun. The Hold Steady’s frontman/lyricist recently released his sixth solo album, the…
CaropopGina Birch (The Raincoats)
Bassist Gina Birch is a founding member of the legendary British post-punk band the Raincoats, whose self-titled 1977 debut album is an off-kilter classic…